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Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero certainly isn’t short on confidence—or insults—when it comes to his next opponent.
The brash Las Vegas-based contender is living in the moment as it relates to his upcoming showdown with one of the sport’s most promising young stars in Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. The pair of undefeated lightweights will collide December 5 on Showtime Pay-Per-View, live from Staples Center in Los Angeles where the two met Thursday afternoon. for the official announcement press conference.
“I’m excited to be here on Showtime. I might be the youngest as far as record wise—with the exception of the YouTubers and stuff—I might be the Pay-Per-View (headliner) with the least amount of fights,” noted Romero, who enters just his 15th pro fight. “You guys are gonna see I’m gonna knock this dwarf the f— out. That’s how it is. You hear that? I’m gonna knock you the f—- out. You know how it is.”
The threat was quickly deflected by his upcoming rival.
“You scared,” insisted Davis, which in turn prompted a fun rant.
“You think I’m f—–’ scared,” Romero asked, rhetorically. “What the f—- I got to be scared of? Man, you a stupid f—–’ dwarf, man. I can’t even miss with your f—–’ head. It’s so f—–’ big.
“And your little T-Rex arms. My dick is longer than them T-Rex arms. I’m gonna knock this chump the f—- out.”
Romero (14-0, 12KOs) will fight for the third time in 2021, having scored back-to-back seventh-round knockouts in his last two starts. Romero opened the year with scheduled opponent Justin Pauldo badly missing weight for their planned January clash on Showtime from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Pauldo was replaced by Avery Sparrow, who took the fight on one day’s notice but provided little challenge before being stopped.
Anthony Yigit didn’t come close to making weight for his July 17 lightweight clash with Romero, who proceeded with the fight and weight difference. It turned out to be his most notable win to date, embracing the boos from the fans at AT&T Center in San Antonio before grabbing the mic and turning his attention to Baltimore’s Davis (25-0, 24KOs), with whom he’s had a years-long feud.
The wish has been granted, even if many feel the moment has come far too soon for Romero.
“There’s been world champions with less fights than me,” notes Romero, a five-year pro. “I came in this sport at 17. I started late and I made the most out of what the hell I’ve done. Here I am, I’m 14-0 and now I’m fighting on Pay-Per-View.
“I’m here and I’m gonna knock Tank the f— out. Everybody’s gonna see that sh!t and it’s simple as that.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox